Research on Self-filming by female immigrants from South East Asia: learning process and self-representation

• Main Authors: Ke, Wan-Ching, 柯妧青
• Other Authors: 王政彥
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/03350809950402364959

博士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 成人教育研究所 === 101 === Abstract Advances in digital video technology have made film-making increasingly accessible to ordinary people. Inexpensive mobile cameras and cell phones both have recording functions, and computer editing software is easy to access, which breaks the monopolization of media production by certain individuals and companies with privileged access to film-making equipment. Accordingly, several films made by new immigrant women about their lives have recently emerged, self-expression of their voices and perspectives, and making it worthwhile to consider the influence of these films on their creators and society. Based on a theoretical foundation of critical pedagogy and feminist films, this study explores the personal development of new immigrant women from South East Asia during their learning process through self-filming, as well as the ideology and perspectives represented in the texts of their films in the era where digital video technology and the internet have converged and become integrated . This study reveals the social and educational implications of the empowerment minority groups such as new immigrant women from South East Asia via self-image creation through film. The researcher noticed a close relationship between the experience of the learning process of self-filming and individual life experiences and self-development. Self-filming enables new immigrant women from South East Asia to explore themselves through the view-finder, and thus affirm their subjectivities and way of reading the world. By providing subjects with a new perspective on themselves and their place in the world, self-filming and the associated learning process helps awaken new immigrant women from oppressive situations. Subjects can also initiate a dialogue with society via the text of their films, and can implement praxis, agency and self-liberation. To ensure self-filming results in effective learning and arouses consciousness regarding self-oppression, important factors include significant life events that can act as triggers, the assistance and conscious stimulation of self-image creation by learning supporters and teachers, as well as group learning among club members. This study reaches the following conclusions: 1. The learning process of self-filming by South East Asian new immigrant women is a dynamic construction linked to social activity and generated by self exploration. These women construct three inner aspects: self-identity, subjectivity affirmation and conscious awareness. 2. The life experience of these women is the foundation of their self-filming, as well as a significant element in the construction of the critical consciousness and contents of their films. 3. The self-filming of these women forms their self-images and narrative perspectives, which transcend and differ from mass media. 4. The film texts represent an anti-mainstream ideology. 5. The learning activity of self-filming has the function of image enlightenment based on the spirit of critical pedagogy, which helps oppressed people achieve self-liberation. The experience of South East Asian immigrant women of self-filming makes the production process of filmmaking resemble a journey of self-exploration. The meanings of self-filming are described as follows: 1. Self-filming constructs subjectivity and affirms the voice of South Asian immigrant women. 2. Self-filming empowers immigrant women and presents their agency. 3. Self-filming rebels against the hegemony and achieves self-liberation. 4. Self-filming can achieve self-praxis and social revolution. 5. Self-filming can strengthen sisterhood and friendships among foreign spouses. 6. Self-filming transforms raw footage and data into “meaningful” film. 7. Self-filming can provoke social dialogues. The study conclusion demonstrates that self-filming helps new immigrant women manifest their agency and viewpoints of rebelling against the hegemony in the process of learning and through the texts of their films. Self-filming also strengthens their critical consciousness and avoids mainstream cultural reproduction. However, only when teachers and supporters aroused the conscious enlightenment of these women could critical introspection be cultivated. The production experience of self-filming helps non-professional film makers, such as new immigrant women, achieve self-liberation through self-image creation, and thus contains multiple meanings and functions. Self-filming is a significant media that leads to dialogues between new immigrants and society, as well as the presentation of their voice. The researcher recommends that the National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of Education cooperate to arrange a specific budget from the Foreign Spouse Assistance Fund to support “filmmaking training”. Such a project could also involve professional film makers and private organizations arranging courses on “documentary film production”. Teachers inspired by critical pedagogy should also be recruited to conduct dialogues with female immigrant students from South East Asia based on student life experiences and thus inspire critical introspection. Advanced courses on “documentary film production” should be organized to train new immigrant women to become seed teachers so that films with the spirit of critical pedagogy can be made and the voices of such immigrant women can heard, to demonstrate the value of multi-cultural perspectives. Keywords: Female immigrants from South East Asia, self-filming, learning process, representation of film, ideology, image enlightenment